Capping device for oil-wells.



F. M. HENNING. GAPPING DEVICE FOR. -0IL WELLS.

" APPLICATION IIL'ED JAN.31, 1908.

Patentd Nov. 30, 1909.

2 sums-sum 1.

ram ff film/77g F. M. HENNING. v GAPPING DEVIOE FOR OIL WELLS.APPLICATION FILED JAN-31, 1908.

941,452. Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FRANCES M. HENNING, or DOXEY, OKLAHOMA.

CAPPING DEVICE FDR OIL-WELLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

Application filed January 31 1908. Serial No. 4l3 ,600.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCES MsHEN- NING, a citizen of the United States,resid-- ing at Doxey, in the county of Roger Mills, 1 State of Oklahoma,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Capping Devices forOil-Wells; and I=do hereby de-' clare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In the oil fields, whenever a gusher is struckduring the process ofdrilling, it is customary to cap the well tubing with a screw cap orplug so as to prevent wasting of the oil or the escape of obnoxiousgases. It is customary .to employ caps or plugs which are entirelyseparate from the well tubing but such devices are undesirable i nasmuchas time-must be spent, very fre-' quently in finding them, and it isfurthermore quite risky and dangerous for one to attempt a gusher owingto the force with which the oil gushes from the tubing and the deadlycharacter of. the gases accompanying the oil. In order-to expedite theworking of oil wells by obviatingthese undesirable conditions, I haveprovided a novel form of capping device which is permanently connectedto a casing surrounding the tubing or rather the oil discharge openingand which may be thrown into position to cap the gusher, by a singleworkman, he being protected, owing to the peculiar construction of thedevice, from the oil-and the gases.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of thedevice as associatcd with an oil well, the cap being back, Fig. 2 is asimilar view but'shnwin the cap thrown into position ,to -cl'os'e the"well, Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the device, the capbeingin closed position, Fig. 4 is a sideelevation of the device, and,Fig. 5 is a top plairview'.

In the drawings, there is shown a length of.oil well tubing 7 andavcasing 8 which is sunk into the ground, surrounds or incloses the welltubing, and is cylindrical.

This casing is anchored by'means of guide.

rods 9 WlllCh are connected at their upper ends to hook shaped lugs' 10fonned upon the casing and are anchored in the ground at their lowerends. These guide rods, in addition to holding thecasing against upwardwithdrawal from the ground, hold it in upright. position. An oilconducting pipe 11 leads laterally from the casing 8 adjacent the upperend thereof and in this pipe there isinterposed a cut-off valve 12.

The casing 8 is formed upon its outer side adjacent its upper end, andat diametrically opposite points with trunnions 13 to which. are pivotedthe lower ends of links or arms 14. -At their upper ends, the arms areformed with'slots 15' in which work rectanis formed concentrically withan opening 18 of a diameter equal to that. of the internal diameter ofthe said casing. The wall of this openin or in other words the innerperiphery o the collar is formed with screw threads .19. and thecasing 8is formed at its upperend also with. screw threads which are indicatedbythe numeral 20 and correspond in pitch and direction to the threads 19.It is to be understood that while the collar 17 .is normally dropped tothe position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, it may be swung upwardlyfrom this position to that illustrated in Fig. 2, the inner periphcry ofthe collar registering at such time with the bore of the casing 8. Athreaded plug 21 is threaded into the collar and in fact is at all timesassociated therewith'and when the collar has been swung to the positionshown in Figs. 2 and 3, the plug is turned by engaging a wrench with asquared head 22 formed upon the upper face of the plug, so as to closethe upper open end of the casing 8.

supported or carried by a support which may be swung to bring the plugdirectly abouethe open upper end of the casing, the

plugbeing adapted to be screwed into the casing to prevent overflow ofoil therefrom.

Inorder that the operator of the device maybe protected againstsquirting of oil and against the outflow of gases directly toward himwhile capping the casing, the collar is formed .with a dependinsemi-circular flan 'e 23 which forms in effect a hood or apron or thepurpose stated.

What is claimed, is -1. The combination withrthe outlet tube of an oilwell internally threaded at the outer end, of arms swinging from thetube,

an internally threaded collar movably coupled to said swinging supports,and a threaded plug engaging the threaded collar and adapted'to engagethe threaded portion of the tube when rotated.

2. The combination with the outlet 'tube of an oil well internallythreaded at the outer end, of arms swingin from thetube and providedwith oppositely" disposed guide .lugs threaded plug engaging thethreaded collar and adapted to engage the threaded portion slots, aninternally threadedcollar having engaging in said guide slots, and aof'the tube when rotated. I I

3. The combination with the outlet tube of an oil well, ofa'rms ivotedto the tube, a collar loosely cirriedli plug threaded through the collarand adapted for threaded reception in the end of the tube, the armsbeing movable to bring the plug into insertible position with respect tothe tube. i

4. The combination with the outlet tube of an oil .well, of arms pivotedto the tube, a collar supported between the outer ends of the arms, anda threaded plug threaded y the arms, and a- Witnesses I means forshdablycoupling said collar to said swinging arms.

6. Thecombination with the outlet tube of an oil well internallythreaded at the outer end, of arms swingin from the tube and providedwith oppositely disposed guide slots, a threaded plug engagin thethreaded portion of the tube, a threa ed collar engaging the threadedplug and provided with projectionsislidably engaging in said slots,

and a flange depending from the collar and bearing over the tube.

In testimony whereof, I aifixmy signature, in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCES M. HENNING.

E. P. GUNN-,= J. G. PEEL.

